Watashi no Koe
by J0H
Summary: Whaaat? Inuyasha is...the storyteller? Rated for Inuyasha's famous mouth
1. 1

This story is a product of my imagination; however, I do not own Inuyasha, and do not claim to have rights to change the storyline in any way and call it valid. That is why this plot is a fanfic and not in the manga or any books related to Inuyasha. People just don't get it, do they...

AN-Warning: Some viewers may be appalled that I've changed the story so much. Read at your own risk..

The sun began its rise slowly and without worry over the rolling silhouettes of distant hills. The morning air was crisp at the moment, but soon it would warm up, waking the rest of the inhabitants of the forest with it as the glowing red sphere inched it's way up over the horizon. Everything had a sense of stillness wrapped around it, as if almost frozen in time; the sky was becoming lighter, but it was doing so, so slowly, that if you were to watch it, you would fall asleep again in the process. Life can be compared to such events as the sunrise; things can happen so slowly that you would not notice it, but if you were to look back after a few minutes, everything may have changed so much that you would not know what had happened to cause such change, or when that had taken place. The difference could be that drastic...

Twist

Chapter One: A New Beginning...Or Is It?

The sun had not yet risen when the chirping of the birds cut through the peaceful morning quiet. They fluttered from tree to tree, greeting each other at the start of a new day, although the sky was still a faint shade of grey, and the sun's warmth had not yet stirred the other inhabitants of the forest from their sleep yet.

As for me, I just wished they hadn't gotten up so damned soon.

I stretched my arms and prepared to-

Wait a second. I remained still for a moment, and felt around behind me. Yes, I was still pinned to the old Goshinboku...but what was I doing awake...?

A piercing cry cut through my daydream and threatened to traumatize my ears. What the hell?! Who was making that noise?! I shook my head and covered my ears frantically, but it was no use. I was just about to yell out myself when a scent caught my nose. I'd been so busying worrying about my ears that I hadn't noticed that particular smell drifting up towards me from the town. I knew that scent. I knew it well...and loathed it with my entire being.

Distant, frantic footsteps caught my attention. They were headed my way, and carried with them the intense aura of fear. Not only that, the thing reeked of sweat and dirt, so much that I wrinkled my nose without thinking. Briefly, I allowed myself to wonder at this behaviour. I was sure I knew the owner of this stench, and yet it differed so much from my previous experiences that it was cause enough for me to question my own senses...senses that I had long ago learned to trust completely, if I were to stay alive.

Forcing myself to maintain a straight face, I waited patiently for the source to reach me. Whatever questions I had could wait until she got here. Maybe she would even be surprised that I was awake. How long had it been since that wretched arrow rammed through my shoulder, pinning me to this tree like some gutted fish hung out to dry? I would make sure she knew of my gratitude for giving me the chance to have such a relaxing nap. Yes, I will be sure to thank her thoroughly, down to the last little detail.

A sudden, high-pitched wail interrupted my vengeful fantasy before materializing into a short, skinny human in white and green that fell, rather ungracefully, onto the ground some ten feet from me, bounced twice, and rolled a bit before landing at my feet. Or, more accurately, beneath my feet.

It took me a moment to get over the initial surprise I'd felt looking down at her. The creature at my feet, with the exception of that face, looked and acted nothing like the woman I used to follow around so loyally. If it hadn't been for that maddeningly familiar scent, and that unmistakable face, I would not have recognized her at all, especially not while she was still lying there with her face in the dirt when she should be getting up and recovering from the fall. In spite of myself, I found myself wondering what exactly had happened while I'd been "dead".

Curiosity ate at me, but my hatred was stronger. All I had to do was remember the searing pain in my left shoulder, and I pulled myself back together easily. I gathered all the scorn and contempt I felt at the scene before me, and let my words slide easily off my tongue.

"Playing with worms now, are we, Kikyo?"

The girl, who by this time had crawled up to her knees, looked up at me with a mixture of shock, confusion, and if my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, fear. Her mouth flapped a couple of times, but no sound came out, and she wouldn't stop blinking. This irritated me, but I didn't let it show. What was wrong with her? Why wouldn't she say anything? Was my unexpected awakening that much of a shock? I amused myself with the idea that the great Kikyo could actually be taken by surprise, and let it show in my voice.

"What's the matter, Kikyo?" I sneered. "Aren't you taking a little while to kill it? You usually finish them off much more quickly than that." That last part I almost spat out, I was so disgusted. If this was what had become of the priestess who'd sealed me, then my defeat would become a mortification, for me to lose to such a pathetic creature.

The human stared up at me for a moment, not responding, complete surprise written all over her face. Then, she narrowed her eyes, stood up with only the slightest wobble to her knees, and marched over to stare up at me with this incredulously annoyed look on her face. She placed one hand on her hip while she pointed a finger at me with the other one. Before I could even wonder at her strange behaviour, she spoke.

"Kikyo, Kikyo, Kikyo! Who is this Kikyo anyway?" She paused, but not for long. "I'm not her, so if you've got a problem with her, don't take it out on me."

For a moment I was so stunned that I couldn't think of what to say. Then the anger spilled out and I lost my composure.

"What the hell are you talking about, you're not Kikyo?!" I snarled. Was she out of her mind?

"That's what I said. I'm. Not. Kikyo," she snapped back just as angrily. "I don't know who this Kikyo is or what problem you've got with her, but I'm not her, so stop calling me that." By this time she had balled her hands into fists, and were waving them around as if to emphasize her point.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "If you're not Kikyo, then why do you smell like her-"I began, then realized something. She was right. I sniffed her again just to make sure, but there was no mistake about it. This was not Kikyo. The revelation left me nearly speechless.

"You're not her," I managed. I could hear the amazement in my own voice.

"See?! What did I tell you? I'm not Kikyo." I could also hear the satisfaction in her voice, and it annoyed the hell out of me.

"Yeah, you're right. Kikyo was much prettier," I replied. It bothered me that I could mistake someone else's scent for Kikyo's, but I wouldn't let this human know about that.

"What?!"

She was annoyed, and I found myself enjoying it. I couldn't resist taunting her some more.

"Yeah, that's right. Kikyo was also far better at fighting monsters than you are, human."

"Don't call me that! I have a name, you know!"

"So what? You're all the same to me, human."

"My name is NOT 'human'! It's-"She was about to tell me who she was when out of nowhere an enormous snake-like body, with hundreds of tiny legs, wrapped itself around us several times and squeezing tight, crushed her against me and the trunk of the tree.


	2. 2

Disclaimer: Me. Own Inuyasha. Not. :)

AN: Sorry for any errors in spelling/grammar/punctuation/etc. I know how annoying (and distracting) they can be...although the story's probably not interesting enough to hold your attention like that anyway ;). Anyhow, because I've recently been assigned to a rather nice-but poorly equipped-computer which does not happen to have that wonderfully convenient program called Microsoft Word, I have had to proofread my chapters manually (ugh). Therefore, if you observant readers happen to find a whole myriad of dumb mistakes, it's because I was too freaking lazy to do more than skim carelessly over the words at the speed the cursor moves over them... . Not that that means I don't care; I will of course do my best to spot and destroy any careless error I've made ;P. I apologize again for the inconvenience. Well now, enough of me boring you to sleep...

PS. Does anyone else think I sound like an elderly...? -- By the way, I also apologize for any errors I make in the chronological order of events, and the circumstances in which they happen ;).

Twist

Chapter Two

What the hell?!

I sucked in a sharp breath with a hiss, and winced as the girl let out a shriek high enough to nearly split my eardrums. It took all of my willpower to not chew her out right then and there. I dearly wanted to, but that could wait. There were more pressing matters at hand at the moment.

"MUHAHAHA, I can feel the power of the Shikon no Tama...so close, so close!" I looked then upon the speaker, and wrinkled my nose in disgust. Not only was her reek enough of an incentive to make me want to replace it with lots of blood, she looked as ugly as hell too. Perhaps about sixty feet or so in length, her entire body, excluding the humanlike figure above the waist, consisted of sectioned components, each sprouting at least three hairy insectoid legs on either side. The part of her above the waist was even worse, if possible, than the buggy rest of her. From the waist up, she looked like a nude human woman with a ridiculously evil look on her face. She looked like she could've been fifty years old, if she'd been human. I couldn't care less if she'd looked like a hundred, because at the moment, the thing unwrapped itself from around us, coiling around the human as it lifted her above my head and squeezed a yelp from her.

This would've been all fine and dandy with me, seeing as now I didn't have either the annoying whelp or the stinking bug wrapped around me, if it weren't for the fact that that annoying woman had grabbed hold of my eartails as she'd been pulled away. Now, as a result, I was being yanked along with her.

"Ow ow ow ow! Let go, you stupid bitch!" I yelled, trying to prevent my head from being popped off my neck. Not that there was much I could do about it.

"Kyaaaaaaa----!"

"Stop screaming and let go of me!"

"I can't---!"

"What the hell is----ow ow ow!"

A few seconds and tons of hair loss later she fortunately managed to lose her grip, and I was freed from being her Hair Rope of Rescue. As I shook my head to clear out the stinging coming from my temples, I happened to keep my eyes on the scene in front of me.

I wondered what would happen now. The human was obviously no match for the centipede, and as if to confirm my insightful observation, it squeezed harder, causing the girl to grimace.

"Foolish human! Did you actually think that you could escape from Mistress Centipede?" it cackled. "Hand over the Shikon no Tama now before I eat you!"

"I...don't...know what...you're talking about!" the girl squeaked. She braced her hands on the sides of the exoskeletal surface around her and twisted her face into a frown of deep concentration. This piqued my interest mildly and I looked more closely to see what she would do.

I was so focussed in on her face that I almost didn't notice the glow coming from beneath her hands. As I started to wonder whether she was flushing from her exertion over being squished, or from an urgent need to go to the potty, she took a deep breath and, screwing her eyes shut, yelled out:

"Let me go, you big fat worm!!" at the same time that an intense light- a _pink _light, for crying out loud- shot out from beneath her fingertips to skewer parts of the bug surrounding her, allowing her to be dropped promptly to the ground as Mistress Centipede writhed about in pain, all the while making a hell of a riot. The girl picked herself off of the ground, and, to my surprise, proceeded to head my way. I stared at her as she approached, unsure of how to respond to what had just happened. What I had just witnessed, that explosion of light, could have been none other than an expression of a miko's power. This girl, who looked so much like Kikyo yet acted like the exact opposite of her, possessed the spiritual power of a shrine maiden while looking and smelling like no other human I'd ever met before. When she had first come up to the tree, she had seemed to be just like any other weak little human running from a scary bug. But now, on closer inspection, I realized that the clothes she wore, as well as that strange tinge in her scent, were more foreign than anything I'd ever encountered. I was curious as to what exactly she was, but another thought came up from behind that one and threatened to overwhelm me with hope. If I could just get her to listen to me, then...

I was about to open my mouth to call out to her when a sudden rush of air, followed closely by an expression of such rage that the eyes bulged and threatened to pop out, swooped in on the girl with mouth wide and teeth glistening. The human had her back to the centipede, but feeling the movement of the wind, started to turn around. However, she was not quick enough, and before I could even utter out a warning, Mistress Centipede had the girl in her jaws and was flying out towards the sky with her prize. I mentally cursed myself for not seeing it coming sooner. Had I actually thought that some little fireworks from an otherwise useless human could finish off a bug, however weak, of that size? I sighed. I wasn't really interested in the human- Mistress Centipede could have her for dinner after I was done for all I cared- but the bug _had_

mentioned something of interest to me. The Shikon no Tama. It was still around. Well, why wouldn't it be? I didn't know how long I'd been stuck to this tree, but it couldn't have been more than four or five years at most, judging from my current physical condition. If I could get my hands on the Jewel, then I could finish the wish Kikyo had interrupted and become a full demon. Then, insects like Mistress Centipede would be of no concern to me.

At the moment, however, I was at a disadvantage. Mistress Centipede had carried away the supposed bearer of the Jewel, that girl, so I would be lucky even to get the human back in one piece. If I couldn't get the Jewel itself, then I would at least need the human, because from what I'd seen, there was a possibility-a very small one at that, but a possibility nonetheless-that she possessed enough spiritual power to break the seal on this stupid arrow. If I could just get free of this tree, then I could easily handle Mistress Centipede and the human. Getting the Shikon no Tama then would be no problem. I thought of how I would like to get my claws on that pompous excuse for a demon, and allowed myself a smile at the image. Now all I had to do was to think of some way to get her down here with the human, whom I hoped she had not torn completely to pieces yet.

Just as I was about to call out a taunt to her, something fell to the ground a few feet from me, bounced and rolled a bit in a way that was somehow familiar, and finally came to a stop beneath my feet. I looked down to see the girl lying facedown in the dirt by the tree. I made to call her to see if she was concious when I was stopped by the smell of blood. Looking more closely, I noticed a dark stain on her right side beneath the ribs. It didn't seem that large to me, but it must've been enough to make her pass out. I was wondering how I could get her to pull out the arrow now in her current state when Mistress Centipede came along and helpfully solved my problem for me by wrapping herself around the trunk again, therefore pushing the human up against me. That wasn't the only thing she did. While being scooped up and pressed against me the girl seemed to have regained conciousness, and was currently staring at me groggily. As I waited for her to get her bearings, I glanced at Mistress Centipede and immediately regretted doing so. Her humanoid figure had transformed and was now covered in sallow, clammy-looking skin, while her face was now an unrecognizable and even uglier mess of bulging red eyes, slitty nostrils and jutting teeth too big for her jaws. She no longer resembled any human woman, and the sight of her now made my knuckles crack in anticipation of her fatal division.

Mistress Centipede seemed to notice my smirk and slid around to puff her bad breath in my face. I twisted my face in disgust and spat out, "Hey, you talk big and think you're so important, but in reality you're just a pathetic worm who couldn't even defeat one little human." Her eyes opened wider, if possible, and she hovered to and fro in front of me as if agitated. I was tired of her boasting about herself and felt the need to make my complaint known. With a snort, she replied, "HA! You're just a hanyou, aren't you," while snickering between sickening blasts of putrid puffs. I tried to close my nostrils, to no avail. "All I need to do is bite your little head off and you won't be able to mouth off anymore." She loomed in close as if to do just that, making me want to punch her right in those bulby eyeballs of hers.

"Keh! You think you're so powerful, but the only reason you're still alive is because I'm stuck to this tree. If I were free, I wouldn't even need three seconds to get rid of you," I sneered, putting as much scorn as I could muster into my words. If I could get her distracted with rage, then it would buy me some time to get the now wary human to pull out the arrow.

"How DARE you insult ME, you insolent half-breed!!" Mistress Centipede brought herself up to some height, preparing to dive down at us. Now was my chance. I looked down at the human, who was staring at me with an expression of confusion mixed with incredulity. I spoke slowly and in a low voice, not wanting to startle her too much.

"Hey, do you think you could pull out this arrow?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the furious centipede in the air.

"W-what?!" It appeared that she did not realize the full extent of the situation. I lost my patience and glared down at her, causing her to flinch.

"I said, can you pull out this arrow or not?" I snapped, flicking my gaze towards the bug again. She seemed about to dive. Impatiently, I continued. "Look, it's either pull out this arrow or get eaten by Mistress Centipede over there, and I really don't think you'd want that, would you? At least with me you'll have a chance." She stared at me a moment, then lowered her gaze.

I looked back up to see the insect rushing down towards us. A tug at my shoulder told me that the human had grasped the arrow and was about to pull it out. Wishing she would just hurry up and do it, I braced myself for the pain. Instead, the arrow seemed to glow with a soft white light. After a moment, it shattered into an innumerable amount of minuscule pieces and disappeared in a flash of bright light. Before I had time to be surprised, I felt a distant throb permeat my entire being. It came a second time, causing my blood to pound in my veins and my sight to blur. When the pulsing happened a third time, bringing warmth and energy with it, I felt a subtle change take place in my mind. It was as if a tension I hadn't known was there had been lifted, and I could finally breathe freely. I took a deep breathe, luxuriating in the sensation of air flowing easily to my lungs, and then sprang into action. I was eager to move, to flex my claws and feel that flesh rip apart in my hands. As a smile crept onto my face, I shot towards Mistress Centipede with a giddiness I had not felt in a long time.

---

Har har har! I've finally finished another chapter! Whoo yeah

Oh yeah, there's something I have to clarify: In the first chapter, I said, "This story is a product of my imagination." Now, that would've been fine except for the wee little fact that I'm actually recounting the events from episode one on. So, basically I'm wracking my brain trying to retell the story with all the events in correct sequence and detail and all, and there I go saying that the story is a product of my imagination, when in reality it's just a written copy of the actual story. Hypocritical, you say? Yes, that's exactly it. If anyone is pissed off by now, hold on to your vegetables and let me explain: I'd meant to say that although the events here are based on the actual story, any changes I make to the storyline, not the story itself, would be products of my imagination. It was not my intention to sound as though I owned INUYASHA. Alright, that should clear it up. For those of you who are mad now because you think that I thought you were not observant enough to understand what I'd meant to say, I'm sorry if I sounded like that :).

ThebigW: Yo! Thank you for your generous review, I'm glad I could paint a picture with these words :D. I'm pretty lucky to have such a review for this fick...and I'mma go read your updates in a sec too :D. Thanks again!


	3. 3

Disclaimer:

Me: ...you mean I could REALLY own INUYASHA?!

Everyone Else: ::stare::

Me: oO Whaaat?

Everyone Else: ::sigh::

Me: Oh, I get it! It's a joke, right?

Everyone Else: ... -- ...

AN: About the infrequent updates...I have excuses 1. My internet comes and goes, taking naps now and then without warning. It's a shame that there is only one person who could wake it up...and it's not me. Anyhow, the little slumbers may last up to a week, depending on how frequently that person checks the computer. 2. Also, because of the breaks in internet accessibility, although I should have time to write new chapters, the internet may be down when I am available, and up while I am unavailable (eg. the Christmas holidays which are actually an excuse for the parents to put us through an early Spring Cleaning --). 3. Whenever I try to substitute words or phrases into a sentence that's already been written, the spacebar, instead of pushing the already-written words farther down...erases them. Oh, the horror. I officially dislike WordPad and any other word processing program that does that now. TT

PS: Changes in the storyline may start appearing now ;).

Chapter Three

Osuwari!!

"HEHEHEHEHEH!!"

Cackling evilly, I launched myself at Mistress Centipede.

Come here, you big fat worm, I thought, as she reared up to her full height.

Mistress Centipede let out an enraged scream and hurtled down towards me, baring her pointy buckteeth all the while. Yellowy spit came flying out from the sides of the hole that used to be her mouth, partly helped by the flopping piece of purple flesh wagging between her jaws. Had I cared to look, I would've noticed that the little cuts on her side-the ones that the human had given her-were slowly, but surely, disappearing.

Not that it would've mattered, anyway.

I flexed my claws again, reveling in the sharp _ching_ of the curved bones sliding against one another. Raised my clawed hands above my head as I came within five feet of the bug. Slashed down with little effort as I poked my fingertips into those bulbous orbs. Felt the flesh split apart, sliding to either side of my claws with ease as I travelled down the writhing length of the squirmy body. Laughed as I watched the halves and bits fall to the earth, still twitching with warmth. Shook the blood off of my hands as I descended to the red-slicked grass. Allowed myself to breathe freely without guarding against the living stink of the insect. Smirked as the old miko and her yuppies stared at the steaming mess of meat.

Oh, had I forgotten to mention them? The miko and her lackeys, I mean.

They had come up as I tried to talk some sense into the human. The elderly miko, fat and looking at least sixty years or older, had shouted at the human to not listen to me. She had said that as the villagers tried to flick some wooden twigs at Mistress Centipede. Then she had added that I was not to be trusted. Stupid human. Stupid, lying, thieving, traitorous humans. They would, after years of companionship and reliability, after gaining your trust and giving you a sense of security, turn their backs on you in the blink of an eye, as if you were nothing to them, as if everything that you had ever gone through and shared and done with them meant nothing, had never meant anything. And for what? Their own gains. They were great actors, humans. They could create an entire life of lies and act it out perfectly, with no one the wiser, drawing you in with their supposed pain and kindness, weaving their false empathy around your heart. And once they had a firm hold of it...they would rip it out, taking what they wanted and leaving nothing behind except for the emptiness, enough memory to hold only one emotion.

Hatred.

Sweet hatred. Reliable, protective, simple hatred. A concept that could never do anything but motivate and give purpose. That would never allow wistful illusions.

Only one human had not fit the above description. Only one had not carried a dagger in her smile...but she was dead now. I had once thought that there was another, but that, too, had turned out to be a lie.

Cold contempt froze inside as I turned towards the humans. After all they'd done, they had the gall to call _me_ untrustworthy. Well, soon it wouldn't matter what they thought of me. Once I became a full demon, I could dispose of them as I pleased. No one would _ever_ dare to lie to me again, human or not.

The smirk became a slow, easy smile as I watched the girl point to a hunk of meat that was still quivering violently. Amused, I looked on as the elderly miko stepped gingerly over the slippery ground to kneel beside the bit of carcass. After a moment, she stood up, holding a brightly glowing, pink ball in her hands. So that was where it had been. I had been wondering why I hadn't been able to see the jewel itself anywhere on the human. If she'd been holding it, with her abilities, it would've fallen out of her grasp easily after Mistress Centipede's first tree-wrapping. So then, where had it been? And when had the bug gotten ahold of it? Mistress Centipede had obviously swallowed the jewel. As I pondered this, I happened to notice the red splotch on the girl's right side...

Ah. So _that's_ what had happened.

My smile turned into a grin as I surveyed my surroundings. Seven villagers, one miko, and a strangely different, but incapable nonetheless, human girl. Even better, she has that wound on her side to slow her down if she tries to run, I thought, as the miko handed the jewel to the surprised-looking girl. No problem.

The girl tried to push the Shikon no Tama back into the old miko's hands. "Why should I take it?" she asked. Why indeed. Humans had no use for the Shikon no Tama. It would be put to far better use in my hands.

"Because you are the one meant to guard the Shikon no Tama," the old miko replied, closing her gnarled old hands around the girls' and the jewel. The girl had a look of astonishment on her face. I agreed with that expression.

Cracking my knuckles, I brought my claws up for the girl to see. "Alright, hand the jewel over, and I might not hurt you," I called out, watching the girl's eyes widen with shock, and then horror. That's it, see the sunlight glinting off of the edges of my pointy little fingernails? If you hand it over now, I might spare you the experience of going through what you saw me do with Mistress Centipede on the ground here. As I glanced down at the ground, I was surprised to see that,except for a little smoke rising from a few blackened spots here and there, there was no trace of the centipede anywhere. I saw the girl's eyes follow mine and widen when they locked onto the little dark patches on the grass, filling with fear and making me want to laugh.

Her mouth opened and started flapping again. She looked like she wanted to say something, but at that moment, the old miko stepped in front of her and told her to run. Raising an eyebrow, I slashed through a tree and hopped onto the stump, brushing off the little twigs the villagers flicked at me. I looked over the miko's head to see the girl stumble as she ran away towards the village,and shook my head. Too easy.

I jumped off the stump, floating over the heads of the villagers, and landed about ten feet behind the miko. Before I'd even hit the ground, I was preparing to jump again. Ahead of me, the girl was still tripping along, breathing as heavily as she had been while running from the bug. A few more jumps, and she was not ahead, but below me.

My hand lifted as I arched my claws. Then, I slashed down.

Golden light flashed as my fingers dug into the ground. Surprised, I looked up to see that the girl was lying face-first in the dirt, avoiding my attack with a foot to spare. Evidently, I had missed, and she had been thrown forward by the blast, therefore narrowly managing to avoid sustaining any injury. Now, she looked back at me with eyes filled with panic. Peeved that I had missed such an easy target, I leapt up as she scrambled to her feet, vowing not to miss again.

A gleeful grin crossed my face as I watched her scurry away towards the bridge leading to the village. There was no way I could miss her now. I raised my hand again, and prepared to-

Out of nowhere, a bunch of glowing beads came towards me, and snapped together to form a ring around my neck.

"What the...?!"

I almost forgot how to land as I dropped to the ground. Managing at the last second to snap into a roll, I tumbled a bit before leaping upright. For a moment, all I could do was stare at the circle of rosary beads and little fangs, fixed together to form a necklace over my chest. After blinking a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing things, I reached up and grabbed the thing in both hands. Just a loop of beads, eh? Well then, it shouldn't be too hard to just yank it - apart?

I stared at the necklace incredulously. No. It couldn't be. _No way._

I resumed yanking at the thing, pulling it every which way, but to no avail. From the moment I'd seen the pink glow surround the loop when I'd first tried to break it, I'd known that I wouldn't be able to pull it apart. It was held together through the spiritual power of a miko, spellbound to stay together no matter what the force or pressure applied to break the chain. I knew that, but continued to pull anyway. I didn't want to accept - I _wouldn't _accept - the fact that I was chained to some other authority. There had to be some way out of this, and I was going to find it. There had to be.

"What the hell?!" I exploded, clenching my fingers around the beads in a deathgrip and straining my arms against the pulsing pink glow. Unable to find a release for my frustration in breaking the chain, I snarled again. "BREAK DAMMIT!!"

"Inuyasha, quit barking," came an old, gravelly but infuriatingly satisfied voice from behind me. I spun around to see the fat, old miko lumbering towards me with her village lackeys in tow. She glanced at me, and focussed her eyes on the loop in my hands for a moment, as if making sure it was secure, before turning her eyes towards the girl still lying on the ground. That reminded me - the girl! She still had the jewel! If I could get the jewel, maybe...!

"Kagome, say the word!" the old miko called out. The girl on the ground - Kagome - looked at her, startled, and then mouthed the word, "Word?" With confusion written all over her face, she yelled back, "What word?"

I jumped up, heart pounding, fury pulling back my lips to bare teeth. I didn't know what saying "the word" would do, but judging from the look on the miko's face, it couldn't be to my benefit. No. There was no way I would let her do anything of the sort.

Kagome's eyes widened with fear and panic as my shadow blocked out the sun overhead. I readied my claws.

"Any word will do!" came the grating shout from the riverbank.

Kagome held that desperate look, as she stared up at me, for a moment before realization came to her face, and completely changed her expression.

Oh. No!

I willed myself to fly faster and land before -

"O - OSUWARI!!"

I heard the panicked cry a split instant before something yanked down, hard, on my neck, and sent me crashing face-first into the bridge.

I groaned. What had just happened? My face was mashed in; it felt like that time I had run into a tree while escaping from an oni. I pushed myself up to my knees, shaking my head and trying to block out the noise of birds chirping in my ears. Where had all these birds come from so suddenly? And damn, if it wasn't bright. I could see twinkling specks flying around in my vision as I looked up to see Kagome staring at me with her mouth gaping open.

I glared at her. How had she pulled me down here? I hadn't seen anything coming towards me before being yanked in the neck -

I stopped. Felt around my neck. Closed my hands around the necklace...and struggled not to drown in the horror and dismay.

No. _No!_

Snarling, I lunged at Kagome, hands reaching out to grab hers, the ones that held the Shikon no Tama, possibly the only thing that could save me now.

She scrambled up, out of my reach, and narrowing her eyes, opened her mouth to utter that dreaded word again.

"Osuwari!"

"Bit - !"

Slam.

My head spun as I lifted it, only to be greeted with more wood as the cursed necklace yanked me down once again.

And so the face-pounding ensued.

After a few more trips to the planks, the old miko finally showed up and called out to Kagome, interrupting her sitting tirade. Although I was grateful for the break, I wasn't giving up yet. While she was distracted by the miko, I managed to crawl a few feet closer to where she stood. My face throbbed, and I was having trouble seeing things in single form, but I could still discern her fist from the rest of her. As I crept closer, I prepared myself to snatch the jewel out of...

...the hand that was suddenly not there.

Where...?

It seemed that she had noticed my advance, and had been pretending to be distracted so as not to alert me to her. Now she was quickly stepping towards the riverbank end of the bridge, glancing warily in my direction as she went. I pouted. Who could have thought that that sitting duck could think of such an escape? Indignation rose up within me, as well as...

What the hell. I was pissed off.

"...should be getting back to the village now." the old miko was saying. What?! Was I no longer a threat to them, that they would just ignore me like this?! A growl escaped my throat as I protested, "HEY, wait right there, you old hag, what do you think you're gonna do with that jewel?! If you don't hand it over now, I'm gonna come over there and -"

I was cut off by a very loud and annoyed-sounding command to sit. This time, however, I did not dive down to meet the planks as usual. Instead...

SPLOOSH.

Icy cold water bit into my skin and face as I belly-flopped into the river from the hole I made in the bridge. Sputtering as I made my way to the surface, I yelled at the humans, but didn't even get past the second word before the current dragged me out of their earshot.

Hmmm. I thought that I'd be able to finish this episode with this chapter, but it seems I'll leave the last part to Chapter Four. This is scary, the fact that I take four chapters just to recount one episode. Should I start leaving out my thoughts in the chapters, to cover more of the story...?

Review Responses!

samy-chan: Lol, you're making my head turn into a tomato with all your compliments! Not that I mind, ahem...well, anyway, thank you for your support, I really appreciate this kind review, and I hope my future chapters will continue to be to your liking! mutter I'd better finish and start reading those stories... . /mutter 

inupupluvr: LOL, your review is hilarious, I will certainly be writing more!


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